Red Cross: Syria is now in a full-blown civil war

The violence in Syria is now a full-blown civil war, the Red Cross has said.

Destroyed vehicles lie in the street in the Syrain city of Homs (Picture: Reuters)

The announcement means international humanitarian law applies across the country – so attacks on civilians or detainees can be classed as war crimes.

Clashes had previously been classed as localised fighting between government forces and armed opposition groups in the flashpoints of Homs, Hama and Idlib.

But hostilities have spread to other areas, leading the Swiss-based aid agency to conclude that the fighting meets its threshold for civil war.

‘We are now talking about a non-international armed conflict in the country,’ said Red Cross spokesman Hicham Hassan.

‘International humanitarian law applies to all areas where hostilities are taking place.’

Andrew Clapham, of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, said: ‘It means it is more likely that indiscriminate attacks causing excessive civilian loss, injury or damage would be a war crime and could be prosecuted as such.’

The declaration came after more than 100 people died in the village of Tremseh on Thursday in what activists have called one of the deadliest events in the uprising against the regime of president Bashar Assad.

UN observers investigating the killings found pools of blood in homes and spent bullets, mortars and artillery shells at the weekend.

But a Syrian foreign ministry spokesman said just 37 gunmen and two civilians died in clashes.

UN special envoy Kofi Annan will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow tomorrow to seek help in resolving the Syrian crisis.

Russia has been under increased pressure to relinquish its support for its key regional ally and agree to impose sanctions.